Sailing in Australia - Will the Kiters burn the Moths

After a few quiet weeks on the Australian scene a big event is looming with the seventh annual Heaven Can Wait regatta set for the September 29/30th Long Weekend on Lake Macquarie. (now just 10 days away)

Former Moth World Champion and Olympic 49er Gold Medallist Nathan Outteridge holds the all comers Round the Lake race record but this year a group of determined Kite Boarders are aiming to burn the Moths off.

We will see much more of the Kite boarders in regular sailing events over the next four years leading up to Rio Olympics but at Heaven Can Wait the current Moth World Champion Josh McKnight and Scott Babbage will be amongst the Moth aiming to foil this challenge.

Overall Entries have been coming in fast for the One Lap Dash, the 12 Hour Race and the 24 Hour Race on Lake Macquarie. Enter now at www.Heavencanwait.com.au

This week we have published the second part in our in depth profile on Lou Abrahams. Another great piece by John Curnow on Lou, one of Australia's Sailing Legends.

As we all know Australia’s recent triple Gold medal success at the London 2012 Olympic Games thrust sailing into the limelight across the country.

Yachting Australia CEO Phil Jones said that Australia’s sailors did a great job of raising the profile of the sport and now it was up to sailing clubs to react and reap the benefits.

'This has created a great opportunity for sailing in Australia to reach more people than ever before and introduce these people to our great sport,' he said. 'For some time now Yachting Australia has been working on a program to increase participation across the country and is now ready to introduce the Discover Sailing Program to Australian clubs.'

'Discover Sailing is more than a brand, it’s an entire Program that incorporates both changes at clubs and a number of core products and services to be delivered by clubs across Australia,' said Yachting Australia’s Participation Manager, Dr. Daisy Brooke.

These include:

Discover Sailing Days and a National Discover Sailing Day, building on the success of current try, and go, sailing days in various states. Some States are conducting these this year, and all are aiming for a national day in 2013. Clubs can run them as often as they like.

Discover Sailing Experiences – a new product currently being developed to provide a three hour sailing and club experience to newcomers.

Learn to Sail Courses – in dinghies and keelboats. Yachting Australia has undertaken a major facelift for its two introductory learn to sail programs in dinghies and keelboats and rebranded the old Yachting Australia Training Centres as Discover Sailing Centres.

Tackers - a fun based junior program, for 7-12 year olds. It’s been developed to give sailing the 'cool' factor that kids are looking for and to compete with other sports. It’s now being rolled out in all States.

Sailability- providing similar pathways for sailors of all abilities to be included in all club activities.

Sailing Pathways – the backbone of progressing and retaining people in sailing.

On a much less happy note, another five drownings in NSW over the weekend. As in 205 of the last 221 drownings in NSW, the victims were not wearing life jackets while in small tinnies.

September 14, 2012 - Emirates Team NZ's AC72 returns to Auckland after her seventh day of sailing. She is sailing on hydrofoils - and is the latgest yacht to do so. The 34th America's Cup will be contested in foiling catamarans capable of speeds in excess of 40kts